Adventure Journal Tests the New iPhone Emergency Service

Stephen Casimiro:

It’s hard to overstate what a big deal this is. There have been more than 10,000 successful rescues since 2011 thanks to the inReach, and those were of people who were privileged enough to own and carry a satellite messenger (or be near someone who did). What about all those people who don’t know about inReaches or don’t have the money for them?

But one thing the InReach still has a leg up is this:

What you can’t do is send non-emergency texts, as you can with inReach.

I concur that one of the great functions of a satellite connected device in the backcountry is the ability to send a quick message to a family member or friend alerting them that plans have changed, but there’s no emergency situation. Curious if and how Apple will address this shortcoming.

The other big consideration we have to think about as we put more and more functionality into our iPhones is that we still only have one battery. I was reminded of this last when while traveling to a trade show with a brand new iPhone 14 pro. The battery was super fresh, is what I am trying to point out here. And yet, a fully day of mapping a city unknown to me, texting my team throughout the day, taking a couple of pics, and browsing the web depleted the battery that it didn’t last and I had to worry toward the end. That’s not a good scenario for a device that’s supposed to keep us safe in the backcountry. Yes, the phone could technically track our run, let us take pics and view maps, and be available in emergency situations, but if we do it all on one device the battery isn’t even remotely sufficient. So far.